IRS tool offers low-income families a tool to get Child Tax Credit and stimulus checks

The Treasury Department and IRS unveiled an online tool for the monthly Child Tax Credits on Monday in an effort to make sure low-income families can get the payments. The first checks are expected to go out to more than 36 million eligible families next month. 

The new portal can also help people who did not receive but are qualified for the stimulus checks passed as part of coronavirus relief since early last year, officials said. Starting July 15, families with children under the age of six are set to receive payments of $300 a month through the end of the year for each child, while those with children ages six to 17 will receive payments of $250 a month. The 2021 Child Tax Credit was also expanded to include low-income families who were otherwise earning too little to pay taxes. The new portal allows those families who might not otherwise be in the system for filing tax returns to provide information to the IRS to get payments.